A Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, Jay Brannnigan (sic?), spoke to a group of college students for two hours last week about the past and future of journalism. He told how the Chicago Tribune used to employ a team of four reporters to do nothing other than run investigations of local wrong doings. It was not unusual for the team to spend eight months preparing a single report of importance for the public well being.
He explained that newspapers were immensely profitable in those days and were often owned by families who were prepared to fulfill what they saw as an important responsibility at the expense of maximizing profits.
He went on to say that the flight of advertisers to the Internet has brought such practices to an end, even at the New York Times and Washington Post. He concluded his remarks by suggesting the future of journalism as a defender of the public’s interest may depend upon non-profit websites.
WATCHDOG: Sounds familiar for Lancastrians and adds credence to NewsLanc‘s stated mission and plans.
